The Long-Legged Fly (Lew Griffin Mysteries) [Paperback]

James Sallis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lew Griffin Mysteries | Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Take a little James Lee Burke, a touch of Ross Macdonald, and a dash of Raymond Chandler, the conventions of the classic American detective story and the fine, thoughtful writing of an original new talent - and you still don't quite have The Long-Legged Fly. This is a smart, tough novel teeming with life and always on the verge of igniting from its own energy. In steamy modern-day New Orleans, black private detective Lew Griffin has once again taken on a seemingly hopeless missing persons case. The trail takes him through the underbelly of the French Quarter with its bar girls, pimps, and tourist attractions. As his search leads to one violent dead end, and then another, Griffin is confronted with the prospect that his own life has come to resemble those he is attempting to find; he is becoming as lost as the frail identities he tries to recover. Waking in a hospital after an alcoholic binge, Griffin finds another chance in a nurse who comes to love him, but again he reverts to his old life in the mean streets among the predators and their prey. When his son vanishes, Griffin searches back through the tangles and tatters of his life, knowing that he must solve his personal mysteries before he can venture after the whereabouts of others. The Long-Legged Fly is exciting, visceral entertainment that takes the reader into a corner of society where life is fought for as much as it is lived. James Sallis has written a compelling novel that succeeds both as detective fiction and worthy literature.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A hard-boiled PI investigates missing persons cases in New Orleans's French Quater over a span of three decades in this uncoventional suspense novel.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Black detective Lew Griffin skips his father's final illness (New Orleans, 1964) when he's hired to find a missing person--well-known black leader Corene Davis. Successfully finding Davis, he repeats the trick three times--searching for runaway teenager Cordelia Crayson in 1970, his friend Jimmy Smith's kid sister Cherie in 1984, and finally his own long-unseen son David in 1990. The searches are understated, variously successful, and seasoned with increasingly elegiac glimpses of Lew's erratic home life (his unlikely romance with British nurse Vicky, his repeated return to his obliging friend LaVerne); and readers waiting for first-novelist Sallis (the story collection A Few Last Words, 1970) to drop the connections among them will wait in vain. But an unexpectedly poignant sketch of the detective emerges through the apparent holes in the plot. Not so much a detective story as a story about a detective, then- -but one that exploits the conventions of the genre with quietly distinctive power. Likely target audience: people who think James Lee Burke's moody Dave Robicheaux novels are overplotted. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802776205
• ISBN-13: 978-0802776204
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The haunting study of a unique detective., March 1, 2001

By 

David Montgomery "Book Critic" (davidjmontgomery.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Long-Legged Fly (Paperback)

African American detective Lew Griffin first appeared back in 1992 in this novel by acclaimed, although largely unknown, author James Sallis. The story follows Griffin as he investigates four cases of missing persons. His success varies and even when he locates the people he's looking for, he never actually finds the object of his search.

This mystery is not really a mystery at all. Rather, it's the story of thirty years in the life of a hurting, flawed man trying to live a quiet existence in New Orleans. Rather than being epic in its sweep, though, "Fly" is minimalist. Sallis is a poet in addition to being an author and it shows in this book.

I suppose it's understandable that Sallis hasn't enjoyed wider success in the genre--his books certainly don't grab you in the same way that most mysteries do--but it's definitely a shame. Readers who are interested in more than simply solving a mystery will definitely find something to admire in this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Target Market, December 29, 2002

By 

G. Smith (St Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long-Legged Fly (Lew Griffin Mysteries) (Paperback)

If novels were "branded" at point-of-sale not only by genre but also by target demographic -- in a way analogous to the way in which many cable channels work to "brand" themselves as the first choice among their own target audience -- then this series by James Sallis would almost certainly belong "on PBS".

I had hesitated to sample this series because -- with no just cause -- I had concerned myself with the possibility that this series may play better on "The WB", and I encourage you not to make my mistake.

Lew Griffin is a fully-fleshed character -- unusually multidimensional in comparison to any other fictional detective I have had the pleasure of knowing. If I were any other author of the genre I would envy Sallis greatly for his ability to make a character feel so real, so likeable, and so constantly interesting -- more so when I stop to consider that objectively, and only in retrospect, the plotting here seems pretty simple -- its best and perhaps primary feature simply being the means by which new facets and depths of Lew's character are revealed.

But PBS? Well, I also don't want to scare you off by virtue of whatever negative opinions you may have about that. If you want a hard-boiled detective, I don't think they come much harder than Lew Griffin. By the end of the second novel in this series (Moth) Lew has bashed, been bashed and gotten smashed with the best of them. And yes, there are women in his life. Interesting women!

... So, check it out and in so doing, encourage Sallis to provide us with many more additions. These are solid gold.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where have I been, April 14, 2006

By 

John Bowes (Oxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Long-Legged Fly (Lew Griffin Mysteries) (Paperback)

I'm late to find this author, but I will make up for lost time. Very different take on a detective. Let's see how it goes from here. Don't expect the usual.